1. Take your time

When playing the full version, take your time. It’s not FIFA or PES. It’s a sophisticated and detailed football simulator. If you rush through, you’ll miss out on the chance to refine tactics, to prepare for the future and to study the opposition, all of which are vital to your hopes of success.

2. Lay the foundations

It takes a while, but try to lay down the foundations of your empire before you’ve even pressed continue for the first time. There are advantages to planning training routines, coordinating scout searches and preparing tactical options. You’ll notice the benefits when the season starts.

Be the boss: Can you turn yourself into Louis van Gaal on FM16? (Image: Getty)

3. Make notes

When faced with an unfamiliar squad, press CTR+K to create a note for any player. You’ll save so much time by stamping, “Useful prospect,” or, “This bloke is rubbish,” on your new charges. It also leaves a small yellow box on their names at all times, so you can tag interesting players and quickly spot them game-years later.

4. Play to your strengths

Make sure that your tactics match the players at your disposal. There’s no point in attempting ‘death by football’ if your players are knuckle-dragging rock trolls with the first touch of a brick wall. Play to your strengths.

Sacked: You'll have to do better than Brendan Rodgers to avoid his fate (Image: Getty)

5. Change your tactics

Don’t use the same tactics all the time. The computer watches and learns. The better AI managers will soon find a way to neutralise whatever it is you’re doing. Keep them guessing with regular tweaks and back-up plans.

6. Scout your opposition

Never start a game until you’ve checked out the opposition. Did they succumb to late, critical injuries? Is there a sudden weak spot you can exploit? Imagine if they played a rake-thin 16 year old out of position and you didn’t notice.

7. Nurture the kids

Use the reserve team wisely. Young players will usually improve quicker if they’re loaned out somewhere for first team football, but if you’re teaching them new positions or bringing them back from injury, it might be better to keep them close.

8. Don't give up

Don’t give up if you lose a few games. Everyone loses a few games. Arsenal’s ‘invincible’ side of 2003/04 lost six cup games. Manchester United’s treble winning team of 1998/99 lost five games in all competitions. Football Manager is hard and it’s designed to be played over a long period, not just the next hour.

9. Be wary of 'bigger' jobs

Think carefully before you move on to what seems like a bigger job. Will you get time? Will you have money? Will it be the same? The heart that you break could be your own.

10. Don't cheat

If you cheat by saving the game before every match and then reloading when you lose, the only person you’re cheating is yourself. The satisfaction that comes with winning something, when you’ve fallen short so many times before, is like a religious experience.

11. Know when to walk away

If it starts to go wrong, hit save and walk away. You’ll be better placed to recover when your blood pressure settles down. Besides, laptops are expensive and, trust me, they really don’t react well to being drop-kicked.